Is Elementary School Children’s Posture Associated with Socio-Economic Status of Their Parents
[1]
Shahrzad Zandi, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
[2]
Reza Rajabi, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
Objective: The association of socioeconomic status with health is well-established. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanisms linking socioeconomic status to adverse health outcomes have yet to be established. We hypothesized that poor posture- as a risk factor in general health- would be directly related to socioeconomic status and, as such, eventually influence health. Materials and Methods: With cross-sectional design, in representative clustered sample of 100 children aged 7-11, kyphosis, lordosis, head and shoulder posture were examined. Socioeconomic status data was collected from parents. Logistic regression models were used in analysis by SPSS version 18 (α=0.05). Results: Poor posture was seen in 68% of the children. Lower posture scores were recorded in children with poorer socioeconomic status (p<0.01; β=0.769). In logistic regression (p<0.05), only 3 out of 5 estimates (Household income: β=0.244; Mother’s education: β=0.449; Father’s education: β=0.279) were statistically significant, while there was no association between the social class of parents and children’s posture. Conclusion: The observed association of socioeconomic status with children’s posture is probably the consequence of the perception that people with higher socioeconomic status have better nutritional conditions, and are more likely to be engaged in regular physical activities. The positive influence of sports has been more frequently reported by higher educated parents, and they are more likely to encourage their children to participate in physical activities. Moreover, the better posture which has been observed in children with higher socioeconomic status, might be caused by more postural education they receive from their highly educated parents.
Posture, Socioeconomic Factors, Elementary School Children
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